Roughhousing. A new guide for Quebec daycares says we should encourage roughhousing. What are the benefits?

Fiddler on the Roof. Interviews with Joel Westheimer and a few other stars of Fiddler on the Roof.

Schools and Drugs: The Opioid Crisis. As the community struggles to figure out a spate of teen overdoses, education columnist Joel Westheimer weighs in on what schools can really do about teen drug abuse.

Politics in the Classroom. Are schools doing everything they can to make sure students grow into good citizens? Dr. Joel Westheimer discusses educating students for the "common good" with "St. Louis on the Air" host Don Marsh.

Special High School Programs. Are special high school programs just another way of streaming students? As the Ottawa Carleton District School Board starts its own review, education columnist Joel Westheimer weighs in on the pros and cons of speciality programs.

Hand Raising in Class. (February 9, 2016). Is asking students to raise their hands really the best way to engage them or should the practice be stopped?

Alternatives to Exams. Education columnist Joel Westheimer weighs in on the pros and cons of alternative high school exams.

2015

Mandatory Volunteering. Does mandatory volunteering build better citizens? Fifteen years after Ontario introduced high school volunteer hours, some people wonder whether it is time for a review.

B-Y-O-D (Bring Your Own Device). (September 29, 2015). B-Y-O-D and Wifi in every classroom. As more and more schools embrace a technology first approach, education columnist Joel Westheimer takes a look at whether it helps or hinders learning.

Flipped Classrooms. Doing homework at school, and the lectures at home. The "flipped classroom" trend, and whether it helps or hurts learning.

Students, What Needs to Change about Schools? As one teachers' union settles its labour dispute and two more continue in a legal strike position, CBC invites students to the table. 2014-15 was a challenging school year, with labour unrest, a new sex ed curriculum and protests over dress codes. As the new school year approaches, CBC asks students: What needs to change about school? Guests are: Roman Ebadi, a grade 12 student from Hamilton and CEO for the Organization for Ontario Secondary Students; Laura Anderson, a high school grad from London, Ontario who was involved in a dress code protest after being sent home for wearing a tank top and ripped jeans to school; Professor Joel Westheimer, University Research Chair for Democracy and Education at the University of Ottawa.

Applied Math as a New Way of Streaming Students. Are students sorted into advanced or "applied" courses based on family income? There's a new report out on applied high school courses, and the people who take them in Ontario. The report was written by the advocacy group People for Education. It found the bulk of teenagers taking "applied" courses in Ontario continue to come from low-income households despite the fact that streaming was officially abolished in 1999. Education columnist Joel Westheimer weighs in on the study, and the concept of streaming.

Teacher Attrition. A new crop of teachers are getting their diplomas. But stats show one-third will leave the profession in the next 5 years.

Home Economics. The argument for a return to home economics in schools.

The New Ontario Sex-Ed Curriculum. Spelling... Storytime ...Sex. Education columnist Joel Westheimer explains how Ontario students will learn the facts of life under the Liberals' new sex education curriculum.

Should Yik Yak Be Banned? It's an App that is causing chaos in Ottawa schools. So should Yik Yak be banned? Education columnist Joel Westheimer on how schools manage social media.

2014

School Board Trustees. Coin toss. Eenie Meenie Mynie Moe. If this is how do you pick your school trustee... you'll get an earful from education columnist Joel Westheimer.

EQAO Anxiety. EQAO anxiety: What to do when your child comes home singing the standardized testing blues.

2013

Grading Student Behaviour. Should students be rated on their behaviour in class? As Ottawa schools get ready to send home report cards, education columnist Joel Westheimer discusses the link between behaviour and learning.

Entrepreneurship Programs. Bringing Ontario classrooms into the 21st century. Calls for entrepreneurship programs have education columnist Joel Westheimer wondering if it's the best way forward.

Meet the Teacher Night. Meet the teacher days are here, with mixed response from parents. Education columnist Joel Westheimer spoke to Robyn about the importance of parent-teacher relationships, and why so many schools are failing.

Should Cell Phones Be Banned From All Schools? Last week, Ontario elementary teachers passed a motion to have students turn off and put away cell phones while in school. Ultimately, it is up to school boards to decide how to handle cell phones in school. But the motion has re-ignited the debate about whether a ban is needed.

The New Ontario Teachers College Curriculum. Last week, Ontario's education minister Liz Sandals announced some pretty fundamental changes to the way teachers will be trained in this province, starting in 2015. It might be bad news for the universities' bottom lines, but education columnist Joel Westheimer says it's good news for everyone else.

EQAO Testing. Not being able to sleep, coming home in tears... For some kids, standardized tests are a major source of stress. So some parents keep their children home on test day.

Recess Cancelled. It's not just school buses that are cancelled when the weather turns foul. More and more schools are also cancelling recess. Education columnist Joel Westheimer cries foul.

School Architecture and Design. MPP Yasir Naqvi announced yesterday more than 47 million dollars for school projects in Ottawa's public board. But as the old saying goes, schools are more than bricks and mortar. Education columnist Joel Westheimer tells us the space where students learn matters more than you think.

2012

School Safety.

Teaching “New Math.” Math classes across Ontario are adding exercises that emphasize real life situations and subtracting time memorizing times-tables. The "New Math" methodology is dividing parents. Education columnist, Joel Westheimer, walks us through the pluses and minuses of the new technique.

Scrapping Middle School.Is there a case for scrapping middle school? A couple of recent studies have suggested that middle school students perform worse in math and English than their counterparts in K-8 schools. But many parents like the idea of middle schools – especially if it means not sending 12 year olds to school with kids who can drive. So how to know which school system is best?